The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has described recent attacks on the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, as unpatriotic.

There have been calls for the removal or resignation of Emefiele with claims that he lacks the capacity to help resolve Nigeria’s economic challenges.

But the AYCF has said this is not true. It further argued in a statement by its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, that Emefiele and others of like-minds were doing all they could to rejig the nation’s economy and that this was already evident in the country.

“Of late, there is a clear evidence of gang-up against the CBN Governor – Godwin Emefiele – by some politicians hiding behind the mask of obscure groups and using the media as the stepping-stone.

“For weeks, these opaque groups have launched a massive negative campaign against the renowned banker, with the hope of denting his many years of professional records and turning public opinion against him,” the group lamented warning those involved to desist forthwith.

The statement said the ongoing smear campaign launched against the Emefiele is a deliberate misinformation “designed to mislead the gullible public and set the people against the hardworking staff and management of the apex bank.

“It is also designed to pressurise His Excellency, President Buhari, who thankfully knows the truth, into taking rash decisions against the CBN governor

“A band of unpatriotic citizens of this country are working in close collaboration with fifth columnists within the system, to draw back the hand of the clock without regards to the destructive implications of working against the development and progress of a key financial institution such as the CBN. This ill-wind will blow nobody any good

“The fringe groups acting the scripts of their uncharitable paymasters should know that Nigerians are today too enlightened to be ridiculed for political gains.

“They must not forget that despite the fact that our economic problems (oil price fall, lack of infrastructure, insecurity, etc) are not the CBN’s fault, the nation’s economy is already being revived by the brilliant ideas of the CBN governor and his team of economic experts.

“There is no justification for the unwarranted chain of media attacks on public officials who are doing whatever is humanly possible to ensure the national economy is brought out of the woods.”

The northern group called on Nigerians to disregard what it called a distraction by shadowy organisations to discredit Emefiele.

“We cannot afford any step backward in our advancement as a nation. Allow term-limited public officials to serve their terms and let the responsible authorities decide whether or not to renew such terms. Whoever has ear, let him hear,” the group warned.